2016 PROVIA Visiting Fellowship Programme for Young Professionals & Researchers from Africa.

Application Deadline: November 20th 2015

The Global Programme of Research on Climate Change Vulnerability, Impacts and Adaptation (PROVIA), in partnership with START, introduces a new and exciting opportunity for young professionals and researchers to engage in PROVIA through the PROVIA Visiting Fellows Programme. The following announcement is for the programme’s inaugural round, and invites young professionals and researchers from Africa and Asia to apply.
The programme is designed to: foster the professional development of young professionals and scholars engaged in climate change vulnerability, impacts, and adaptation (VIA) research; increase the number of young professionals and scientists engaged in PROVIA; and support the coordination, dissemination, and practical application of VIA research.

Provia Details

• PROVIA is offering a pilot round of fellowships for five fellows, with two selected from Africa and three from Asia.
• Each fellow will be matched with a mentor at a host institution, based on compatibility between the fellow’s qualifications and research interests, and the mentor’s areas of expertise and current projects.
• The fellow will be expected to contribute to the mentor’s projects and the mentor will provide research guidance and support to the fellow in project output preparation.
• Prior to the fellow’s travel to the host institution, the fellow will consult with the mentor and prepare a work plan and a research prospectus or project plan.
• The outline of the research prospectus or project plan must be approved by the mentor and submitted to the PROVIA Secretariat for travel permission to be granted.
• The fellow will spend a total of four weeks in residence at the host institution. The fellow will be matched with one of the four participating institutions:
• 1) International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD), Independent University, Bangladesh;
• 2) Institute for Environment and Sanitation Studies, University of Ghana;
• 3) Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development in Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences; and
• 4) Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development, Tongji University, China.

Eligibility Criteria
The applicant must meet the following criteria:
•    The fellowship is open to professionals and researchers whose work involves designing, implementing, or promoting adaptation solutions. Professional candidates must have at least a Master’s degree in a field related to climate change VIA (eg. geography, environmental management, environmental policy and economics, climate science, etc.) and 3 years of research or related work experience in adaptation at the time of application. Preference will be given to early career professionals and researchers (i.e. those under 35 years age who have received graduate degrees [Master’s or PhD] within the last 5 years).
•    The applicant should be able to fully participate in the fellowship as described above.
•    The applicant must select a research theme (see application form) and present a corresponding research idea that addresses an emerging issue regarding adaptation solutions. The thesis or goal, objectives, methods, and what stakeholders will be engaged with (if any) must be clearly articulated.
•    The expected research and communications outputs must be described. The applicant should specify who the target audience for each output is, and if the output will be research-based, such as a journal article, or policy/practice-oriented.
•    Each fellow is eligible for up to $1500 in research project funding, to be used in the production of research and communications outputs. The applicant must prepare a simple budget and budget justification for up to $1500, demonstrating how these funds would be used to produce the proposed outputs.
•    The applicant must submit a completed application form and all requested materials (CV, proof of nationality, proof of degree or enrollment, publication sample, and letter of home institution support) by the November 1, 2015 deadline.
•    Selected candidates must possess valid medical insurance for the duration of their stay at the host institution, expiring no less than one month after their return home.

Benefits:

• Travel (airfare, visa application fee, and airport transfer) and accommodation (housing, daily subsistence allowance) expenses for this fellowship will be covered.
• Also, Fellows are expected to attend the May 2016 Adaptation Futures Conference in Rotterdam.
• Fellows’ cost of attendance and conference fees will be covered as part of the fellowship.
• Mentorship will be provided for an additional six months upon the fellow’s return home.
• Fellows are expected to produce a research product that may include a publication in an academic journal; OR they may produce an output that can be used in policy or practice arenas for designing, implementing, or influencing adaptation solutions.

How to Apply

• Interested individuals are invited to submit the completed application form and additional materials to the PROVIA Secretariat, [email protected].
• Please do not send material that is not requested.
• The application deadline is 20 November 2015.

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the PROVIA Visiting Fellowship Programme